If there were something you wanted to do, but knew it was a sin…would you do it anyway if you thought no one would ever find out? Our lives are shaped in moments like these. How are you being shaped?

Naaman had leprosy and was desperate for healing…so desperate, he followed Elisha’s instruction to dip in the Jordan River seven times. Have you come to a point where you are desperate enough to follow God’s direction?

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We have a life-saving message we should not keep to ourselves. We cannot be content with our own salvation. Jesus told us to share the good news.

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The Jews of Malachi’s day looked around and saw evil people flourishing and righteous people struggling. So they began to ask, “What’s the point of being faithful to the Lord…there is no benefit.” But Malachi reminds them a day of reckoning would come, so remain faithful and wait.

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Joseph was put in an awkward social position when his fiancée, Mary, turned up pregnant before their wedding day. It was pretty hard for anyone to believe the story about her child being from the Holy Spirit. So Joseph had to wait for God’s plan to unfold. What are you waiting for that has not yet come to fruition? And what are you doing while you wait?

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None of us likes to wait…for our flight at the airport or the drive-thru at McDonald’s. We also don’t like waiting on God…to bring peace in our family or answer a prayer. And when we grow tired of waiting on God and we don’t see the action we want, we sometimes bail out on God. If he won’t answer my prayer, why be obedient. But Malachi urges us to be faithful to the end so we can be rewarded on the day the Lord returns.

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None of us likes to wait…in line at the grocery store or even for the stop light to turn green. We also don’t like waiting on God…to heal a disease or mend our marriage. And when we grow tired of waiting on God and we don’t see the action we want, we sometimes bail out on God. If he won’t answer my prayer, what’s the use in being obedient. This is the same struggle the Jews faced in Malachi’s day. How long are you willing to wait on God?

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Paul tells us that our power to overcome the enemy, in this great spiritual battle, is in prayer.

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In this battle against the devil, we can’t use missiles and tanks. Paul tells us how we can fight against Satan with weapons of the Spirit.

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We fight with our family. We fight with our co-workers. We fight with our friends. We are constantly engaged in battles, but Paul reminds us that the real enemy is the devil.

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A student of Elisha lost an axe head in the water…Elisha made it float and he got it back. Have you lost your spiritual edge and need to get it back? Maybe you used to pray all the time, or serve in some way, or had a passion for your faith, but somewhere along the way, you lost interest. How can we get our spiritual edge back?

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God can do a lot with our little. Instead of sitting on or hands and not doing anything for God because we don’t have much money, or time, or talent…we should take what little we have and offer it to God and see what he does.

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Jehoshaphat prepared to go to battle against Moab, but they found themselves without water, so they called Elisha to ask God for water. Elisha told them to dig ditches. Sometimes God wants us to take a step of faith before he shows up.

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When God called Elisha to become a student of Elijah and eventually take his place, Elisha didn’t hesitate. He burned his plow and sacrificed his oxen. That was a faith building moment…he had no occupation to go back to. What is God calling you to do? What security blanket do you need to leave behind in order to follow God’s direction for your life?

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The question is not, are we willing to trade Hell for Heaven after this life – even a fool would do that. We have to ask ourselves, are we willing to trade this world, my world, your world, for the Kingdom now?

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To know God then is to love God and have that love of God grow, and then that growing love of God leads to a growing trust of God that leads to glad-hearted obedience rooted in a loving, trusting relationship with the God of the universe.

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When we understand our new identity in Christ, we submit to one another. But what does that mean and how does that work?

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When we understand our new identity in Christ, our behavior should begin to change. We no longer participate in sinful activities. Instead, we “live as children of light”.

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When we understand our new identity in Christ, the words we speak should begin to change. We no longer react in anger and spew words that tear others down, but only what is useful to build others up.

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When we understand our new identity in Christ, we need to then live in a way that reflects that new identity. Paul tell us to “no longer live as we once did in the futility of our thinking” and “be made new in the attitudes of our minds.”

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Everything Paul has said sounds so wonderful…we are chosen, adopted, forgiven…we have unity in Jesus. But Paul writes from a Roman prison. So he tells his audience, “Don’t be discouraged because of my suffering. I pray you will be strengthened by the Spirit and will know how long, high, wide, and deep is the love of Christ.”

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In many facets of life, people gravitate to a group they identify with, like: their hobby, or occupation, or race, or politics, or even religion. But in Eph. 2, Paul tells us when we are “in Christ” we are one in Jesus. We might not see eye to eye on every issue, but we can still walk arm in arm.

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Do you have a past you are ashamed of? Or at least some things in your past you are ashamed of? The Christians in Ephesus did. Before they became followers of Jesus, they had lived lives of sin. But Paul tells them and us that when we are in Christ, we are not who we once were. By God’s grace, we are forgiven and can live a new life.

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When you introduce yourself to someone, how do you describe who you are? Maybe it’s by your job, or who you’re married to, or where you’re from. In Eph., Paul tells us who we are “in Christ.” And when we understand who we are “in Christ”, we understand that Jesus gives us everything we need for everything we face.

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The church is to be like a movie trailer for the Heaven, a taster, with all the best bits on full display. If we conclude that the world to come will be a place of complete and perfect justice, it follows that the mission of the church is to create foretastes of the justice to come. Likewise, if we believe that the world to come is a place of love and mercy, we are to be a trailer of that love and mercy, a free sample for those looking to buy into the whole thing.

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Where is God when life goes wrong? Haven’t you asked that question? When the world is falling apart, when our nation is moving further and further from God, when tragedy strikes our life…Why is God not doing something to stop it? That’s what Habakkuk wanted to know. Yet through his questions and disappointments, Habakkuk found his faith through the darkness. How can we do the same?

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Habakkuk wanted God to do something about the rampant sin of the Jewish people. So the Lord told him he would do something…he would send Babylon to conquer them. That wasn’t what Habakkuk had in mind and he wanted to know why God would choose that route since the Babylonians were even more sinful than the Jews. The Lord told him not to worry…the Babylonians would be punished for their sins as well. But what about us? Will we also be punished for our sins?

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Habakkuk was troubled by the rampant sin of God’s people. He wanted to know why God wasn’t doing something to stop wicked people from violence, injustice, conflict, and every form of evil. How long would God let this go on? Sounds a lot like the questions we ask today, doesn’t it? What can we learn from Habakkuk that speaks into our lives today?

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God wants us to say “yes” to him, but sometimes we say “no”. That’s what Jonah did. So God send a storm into Jonah’s life and then gave him a second chance. And that’s what God gives us too. Maybe you are in the middle of a storm now because you’ve been running from the Lord, but it’s never too late to say “yes.”

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When we say “yes” to God, opposition will always arise. Nehemiah responded to God’s direction for his life and organized an effort to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. But as soon as he began, nay-sayers came out of the woodwork, trying to deter him. What is God leading you to do? When you begin, Satan will bring nay-sayers to your doorstep to try to deter you. What can we learn from Nehemiah that will keep us moving with the Lord?

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Most people hate waiting. Waiting at the stop light. Waiting in line. But what do we do when we are waiting on God? Waiting for him to heal. Waiting for him to deliver. Waiting for him to come through. David shows us that through the waiting, God is molding us to be who he wants us to be so we can do what he wants us to do.

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What are you afraid of? Spiders? Heights? Storms? Sometimes we are afraid of what God asks us to do…like teach a 3rd grade Sunday School class, or cut a friend out of our life who leads us in the wrong direction. What if we mess up in class? Or what will we do without that friend? In the Old Testament book of Esther, Esther shows us how to say “yes” to God, even when we are afraid.

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How do you respond when you are asked to do something where you feel you are not up to the task? Maybe it’s something the Lord is asking of you…but you feel inadequate. We usually say “no.” That’s what Moses said when the Lord asked him to go back to Egypt. But God told Moses, “Go, and I will be with you.” You don’t have to do it on your own. I will give you everything you need. And that’s what the Lord tells us today, as well. So what is the Lord asking you to do?

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The Lord told Abraham to kill his son, Isaac, and offer him as a sacrifice. That didn’t make any sense. Abraham surely didn’t understand why God would direct him to do this. But he was obedient anyway. Do you sometimes struggle to understand why God give us certain commands? Why should we love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us? Why should we turn the other cheek when we are cheated? Sometimes we don’t understand, but will we be like Abraham and obey anyway?

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How do we know God’s will for our life? Sometimes he gives us a burden that just won’t go away. We feel the weight of something we see that needs to be done, needs to be fixed, needs to be started. What will we do with that burden?...Ignore it or act on it?

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Along the journey of life and pursuing God’s will for our life, we might find uncertainty much of the time, but when we follow the Spirit’s guidance, we will end up at the right destination.

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God doesn’t always give us clear direction on what he wants us to do, but he does give wisdom so we can decide.

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When we think about God’s will for our lives, we typically think of what God wants us to do. But before we think about what God wants us to do, we need to think about who God wants us to be.

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The story of the resurrection sounds a little far-fetched, doesn’t it? Dead people don’t come back to life. Plenty of people have doubted the veracity of the Biblical account. Maybe you are one of them. But you’re not the first. One of Jesus’ closest disciples, Thomas, also didn’t believe when his friends told him they had seen Jesus alive. But Thomas shows us how to find the truth.

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Our lives are full. Our calendar is full. Our closet if full. Our mind is full. You’re busy aren’t you? That’s what we say when people ask us how we are doing. “I’m busy.” But how can God fill us if when are already full. Jesus wants us to come to him empty so he can fill us with what is good and right.

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We like to build ourselves up so others see us in a positive light. We like to present the best version of ourselves on social media. We like to highlight our accomplishments. But Jesus said we should live with humility.

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We all like to appear as though we have it all together. Our marriage is great. Our kids are great. Our faith is great. We put our best foot forward when we’re around others. We put our best pictures on social media. But we know we’re not as great as we pretend to be. Jesus would rather we admit our faults and allow him to work with our broken lives.

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Anger is often a secondary emotion…it is born out of something else. Maybe it comes from pain or embarrassment or disappointment. So when we lash out, where is that anger really coming from? And in the end, how do we handle it?

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The number one response to the question, “How are you?” is “I’m busy.” And we are. We live in a culture that applauds busy. Busy can be good. Busy can be productive. But there is a limit. That’s why the Lord demonstrated rest and commanded us to rest.

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Life can get pretty hectic. We have so much to do and so much goes wrong that we feel life is coming apart. In Ps. 55 David felt the same way. But what he did is what we need to do…tell God what our troubles are then tell our troubles who God is.

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Often, because of what we’ve done, we feel the weight of shame. Shame can lead us to isolation, secrecy, pretending. But in Ps. 32, the Lord teaches us the cure to shame is admitting what has happened…bringing what we’ve hidden into the light. And when we confess our sin, the Lord removes the shame of our guilt.

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Some of us tend to repress how we feel. Others of us tend to express how we feel. But what does Jesus want us to do with what we feel. Emotions move us and drive us. The question becomes…Where are they taking us?

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The world is full of people in need…so much so that we are often overwhelmed. Even if we have a desire to make a difference, it seems we can’t make a dent, so we do nothing. Jesus challenges us see what is right in front of us and take action.

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There’s something about putting your feet under the same table that brings people together. Sharing a meal can generate conversation and break down barriers. Jesus often ate with those he wanted to reach…and we can too.

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Meaningful and personal conversations about faith can be intimidating. Will they get mad? Will they ask questions I don’t know the answers to? Will it get weird? In John 4, we’ll learn from Jesus how to talk openly and non-weirdly about spiritual matters.

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Connecting with people is often done through fun, laughter, games, or celebrations. Jesus routinely attended fun social events, and those events sometimes opened the door for discussions about faith. How can we connect with people by having fun?

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Message from Christmas Eve 2022.

Who were the Magi? Where did they come from? How did they know about Jesus? Why would they travel 800 miles to get to him? And what should we learn from them for our own spiritual journey?

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As we come to the end, we return to where we began. In Gen., there was the creation of heaven and earth. In Rev., there is the creation of a new heaven and earth. In Gen., there was a tree of life. In Rev., the tree of life returns. In Gen., God was with us. In Rev., God is back with us. God wants to be with you. Do you want to be with him?

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Paul became a follower of Jesus, then spent the remainder of his days serving him. How can we be faithful to the end?

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Paul was committed to his mission of leading people to Jesus, even through the difficulties he experienced. We need to develop that kind of commitment to the mission today.

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When the church began, it grew rapidly…so many wanted to be a part of this new movement. But today, people are not flocking to the church. How do we make the church an irresistible force that draws people to Jesus?

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None of us thinks we have a lot. We wouldn’t put ourselves in that category. But even a person on welfare in the U.S. has more than most people in the world. So what should we do with our lot? After Zacchaeus met with Jesus, he gave away half of what he had and repaid anyone he cheated four time over. Imagine the impact that must have had on people in his community who knew him. What kind of impact could we have on our community if we did what Zacchaeus did?

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Having some might be the most dangerous place to be. For those who have little, they know they have to trust God every day. For those who have a lot, they have learned money is not where it’s at. But when we have some, we want to protect what we have. But what we learn from the boy who gave his five loaves of bread and two fish is that if we give Jesus our some, he can do a lot.

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Many people feel like they don’t have much…like they are struggling to get by. While that is not true for everyone who feels that way, it is true for some. Some have very little money. But Jesus teaches us that he is not concerned with the amount we give…rather he is concerned about the heart and the percentage. If we have a little, we should give a little.

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The Bible tells us the shedding of blood is necessary for the removal of sin…and the blood of bulls and goats, as required by the OT law isn’t sufficient. Jesus had to shed his blood so our sin could be taken away and we could be restored to God. The crucifixion appeared to be a moment of crushing defeat, but it was all a part of God’s plan.

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Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” Peter said, “The Christ…the son of God.” We all have to answer that question. Our answer determines our life or death.

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Jesus changed the lives of those who followed him…and he can change your life too.

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When Jesus came onto the scene, the Jews had been waiting for the Messiah for generations. They were waiting on a deliverer. But they didn’t get the delivery they expected. They thought the Messiah would be a political ruler who would free them from Rome, but Jesus came to set them free from sin. Often Jesus doesn’t deliver what we are expecting from him either. But Jesus didn’t come to fix all our problems…he came to fix the problem of sin.

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One of the principles of gravity is that the closer two objects are to each other, the stronger the gravitational pull. In the same way, the closer we are to the church, the longer we’ve been a part of the church, the more involved we are in the church…the stronger the pull for us to stay within and not go out to share the good news of Jesus.

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A Black Hole has such strong gravitational pull that it draws everything in to itself, including light. The church can have a tendency to become this way. We are given the command to take the light of Jesus out to a lost world, yet we experience a natural pull to stay within. We wind up huddling together and focusing on ourselves.

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The story of Nehemiah tells us about God fulfilling his promise to bring the people of Judah back to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylon. Maybe your life has been a bit like Judah. You turned away from God and have been in captivity. God wants to bring you back.

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The story of Esther seems to be full of coincidences or luck. Our lives might seems to be full of luck or bad luck…a roll of the dice…But God is always in control and he will use those events to work out his plan in our lives.

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The Jews returned to Jerusalem and got busy rebuilding the temple, but then they got busy with other things and left the temple unfinished while the built their own houses and businesses. The temple sat unfinished for 16 years. God then sent Haggai to tell them to return to the priority of building a place for God to be among them.

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David committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband Uriah, yet he is still highly regarded in scripture. Contrast that with Saul, whose two major sins are that he didn’t wait on Samuel to make a sacrifice and he didn’t completely wipe out the Amalekites…yet he is portrayed in a negative light in scripture. Why the difference? The difference is that when confronted with their disobedience to God, Saul made excuses and David repented.

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David was a teenage shepherd. That had to be a boring job…nothing to do but watch sheep. He likely found ways to occupy his time…maybe seeing how far he would throw a rock with his sling or if he could hit a bird. But that boring job was his preparation to meet Goliath. All that practice paid off when he defeated the giant. Perhaps you feel nothing significant is happening your life. But is God preparing you for a task that has yet to be revealed?

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King Saul was to be a representative of God before the people, but he didn’t do a very good job so God removed him. Just like Saul, we are to be representatives of God to the people around us. But the question is, “Are we being good representatives?”

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Israel would cry out for deliverance, and God would send a Judge to deliver them. But after a few years of peace, they would go right back to their idol worship. Today, we see this same pattern in our own lives. We sin. We experience the consequences of our sin.

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Through conquering the Promise Land and giving that territory to the nation of Israel, God was seeking to make his name known among all people. And God has the same mission through us today. Through us, God wants to make his name known.

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